Today Is the Last Day To Back The Cantina HasLab

So this is it. Another HasLab campaign is coming to a close. I absolutely love HasLab season (and so do you based on our traffic numbers), so the final day is bitter sweet. I almost get a bit of the "post holiday blues" when they're over, but we still have a little more work to do. We need to convince as many people to jump on board today as possible, and it's not out of selfishness (i.e. muh tiers!). It's so our fellow collectors avoid one of the worst collecting blunders: the regret non-purchase. To be clear, this is addressing people who can afford the Cantina but are still undecided. No one should make financially irresponsible purchases in furtherance of their hobby.

I'm not going to bury the lead, lede, or Leids (nyuck nyuck) and I'm going to start off with what I think is my best argument. I've been collecting Star Wars figures since the beginning (1978), but I wasn't the purchase decision maker then. However, I was there with the modern line as an adult since day one, hour one, minute one. I've been actively engaged in this hobby for almost 30 straight years at this point. In that time, I have made very few regret purchases, and any associated pain never lasts. It doesn't last because the purchase can always be at least partially undone via the secondary market. Even if I lose some money in the process, it's not absolute. A regret non-purchase is, and the sting almost never goes away.

Some of the things I have passed on are the stuff of modern line legend. I twice passed on the Ulic Qel-Droma / Exar Kun comic pack. If collecting decisions could keep me up at night, that one would. I regret purchasing the recent Clone Wars 2D repaints that we got a few years ago, but, as I said, I can unwind at least part of that via Ebay. If I want to patch the mistake of passing on that comic pack, it's going to be to the tune of $800. If you're on the fence about the Cantina, take the plunge. If you regret the purchase later, you'll be able to make more than your money back on the secondary market. If you regret passing, you're going to have to dig deep into the wallet.

CLICK HERE if your would like to back the Vintage Collection Cantina HasLab

Now for a few more arguments (buckle up folks, it's a long one).




I don't think the community appreciates how unique this offering is going to be. This is monumental. Ignore the "no plans at this time" comments with respect to re-release. I view that as little more than legal boilerplate (in the event Hasbro loses the license some day and they need to milk the existing assets). Hasbro needs to protect the sanctity of HasLabs. As soon as they break the ice on doing a second production run of a HasLab item, they will jeopardize all future HasLabs regardless of brand, and they know this. This will be your one and only chance to get these figures ever (especially on card). This is the first and only shot for characters that have existed for the entire 46 year history of the Star Wars line, but have been unmade to date. This is INSTANT GRAIL territory. Don't believe me? Mr. Stevie said that exact thing on his Instagram:


Even if the Cantina finishes with Ghost-like numbers, these will still be Instant Grails for a number of reasons that I can't get into here unless this turns into an encyclopedia. I don't like to do the self-congratulatory thing, but I predicted THESE FIGURES would be grails when they were still going for $25 on Ebay, and now they'll set you back well over four figures for the set. I see the same potential for the Tonnikas. There's an exclusive Hera with the Ghost, but we already knew there was another Hera coming in main line. These will be the only Tonnikas ever. That's game changing.

Suggesting you should pay $400 for two figures is ridiculous on its face, but I heavily suspect the floor is $500 for the pair on the secondary market. We're already past 10,000 backers at the time of this writing Sunday night. Greedo may be unlocked as you read this. Nabrun is all but assured. Between Wuher, Greedo, Nabrun and the Cantina itself, you could easily get $400 on Ebay once this ships, and end up getting the Tonnikas for free with a little work. If you want them, backing now is by far the financially smarter move.

Finally, can we just acknowledge how the brand team went to the mat for the collectors by getting the Tonnikas green lit. The oft-discussed licensing issue wasn't the only challenge they faced in getting the sisters approved. I'm sure there were tense negotiations with everyone from upper management to even the licensor. If you recall the original unflattering nickname of Brea and Senni which rhymed with "Star Wars" and indicated they were ladies of the night, you know that LFL might have been slow to grant production in the same way that "Huttslayer" Leia seems to be figura non grata.

CLICK HERE if your would like to back the Vintage Collection Cantina HasLab



I think some collectors are still having trouble seeing this set for what it is. Don't be clouded by the Elstree footprint. To make this shelf installable, you need to take advantage of the highly configurable options, which will push those unfinished areas up against the wall and sides of your shelf. You're never going to see them. No Skill Customs does a great job of depicting that in THIS VIDEO with some graphical cutting and pasting:


That's pretty close to how I will display mine, and since the triangular wedges that angle the last booths toward the entrance are a separate piece, by moving them to the back of the bar, this will be achievable. If you're not backing this because you can't figure out how this fits into your collection, it doesn't need to. It can be made to fit around your collection. When you see photos of this in other collector's displays, you're going to regret not owning it.

CLICK HERE if your would like to back the Vintage Collection Cantina HasLab



The Cantina will never be less expensive than it is right now. If you're once the fence, hop over to the "back" side. You won't regret it on the long run. #ReturnToTatooine isn't done yet, and I have a feeling the other pieces are going to go with the Cantina like shoe and shoelace. If you want many of the other "cons" of this HasLab debunked, watch THIS VIDEO by Toys of the Jedi. It's especially convincing because Chris has a British accent. The classy kind. Not the h-dropping kind of a little girl who is upset that the silly ice cream man only does bloody card.

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